Swingin’ Medallions Coming to Lander April 10 for Scholarship Benefit Performance

The Swingin’ Medallions, a Southern tradition since 1962, are returning home to Lander University – the college of choice for many of its members over the past 63 years – for a benefit concert on April 10.

Proceeds from the event, scheduled for 7-9 p.m. at Lander’s Finis Horne Arena, will benefit the University’s John G. and Jayne B. McElrath Scholarship. General admission tickets are $20 each and are available at www.lander.edu/medallions. Along with enjoying a diverse blend of music from the classics of yesterday to the tunes of today, concertgoers will also be able to take advantage of a dance floor near the stage.

Sponsorship opportunities with premium seating are also available. To purchase a table, contact Adam Taylor, Chief of Staff and Vice President for Strategic Initiatives, at 864-388-8195 or ataylor@lander.edu.

“Greenwood has always been home for us, and Lander University is a big part of this community,” members of the Swingin’ Medallions said. “We’re honored to take the stage and give back by supporting scholarships that help Lander students chase their dreams. Come dance, sing along, and make a difference with us – because together, we’re keeping the music and the future alive!”

Touted as appealing to audiences from “age eight to 80,” the band had its origins in 1962 as The Medallions,when John McElrath (Class of ’67) and his Lander friends would hang out in Ninety Six and listen to R&B music that was emanating from a nearby bar. By 1965, the group added “Swingin’” to their name, and they became famous the following year with their hit album, “Double Shot of My Baby’s Love.” The band’s best-known song was even banned from some airwaves for lyrics considered too suggestive for the era.

Band members have changed over the generations, but the group’s signature high-energy style is timeless. The band has included actor Grainger Hines, of Greenwood; McElrath’s sons, Shawn and Shane, both current members; Joe Morris, the band’s original drummer; and Carroll Bledsoe, an original member of the band and author of An Insider’s History of the Swingin’ Medallions. Chris Crowe, Josh Snelling, John Smith Buchan, Richard Loper, Marcus Gullen, Ronnie Goldman (R.G.), and Mackenzie Walden are also current members of the group.

Regardless of the decade and the change in musicians, the Swingin’ Medallions remain overwhelming favorites with college audiences, as well as experienced rock–and–rollers. In 2009, Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band invited the group on stage during his concert in Greenville to perform “Double Shot.” Springsteen labeled the song, “The greatest fraternity rock song of all time.”

John McElrath passed away in 2018, but his legacy – and that of his wife, Jayne – lives on through the scholarship at Lander. Established in 1999 by friends and family in memory of Jayne, a 1966 Lander alumna, the scholarship is awarded to an incoming freshman or transfer music student interested in performance.

“Music has the power to bring people together,” members of the band said. “Your support means the world – not just to us, but to our local students whose futures we’re shaping together.”